Zito Sartarelli named UNCW chancellor

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has selected a new chancellor for UNCW. The board this afternoon approved Jose V. “Zito” Sartarelli to lead the school during a meeting at East Carolina University in Greenville.

“I’m humbled, I’m honored and I’m excited to hit the ground running,” Sartarelli said after his selection. “UNCW is a strong university. Growing. Financially sound.”

Sartarelli said he got the offer for the job from UNC President Tom Ross while he was in his native Brazil visiting family for Easter. He is expected be introduced on campus in Wilmington later today.

Sartarelli is currently the Dean of the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. Before WVU he worked for Johnson & Johnson, where he served as pharmaceutical group chairman for Asia-Pacific, Japan and Latin America, overseeing a business of more than $3 billion in annual sales spread over more than 50 countries, and supported by more than 9,000 employees, according to his biography on WVU’s website.

Sartarelli replaces Gary Miller, who left UNCW last summer for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Bill Sederburg has been serving as UNCW’s interim chancellor since August. He should start his new job no later than July 1.

Sartarelli has a Ph.D. in Business Administration and MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University and a BBA in Marketing from São Paulo School of Business Administration in Brazil.

According to his WVU biography, through March 2010, Sartarelli was a board member of the Council of the Americas. In addition, he has held leadership positions in the industry in many countries and has served as chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) International Steering Committee and other significant committee chairmanships such as those for Japan, Canada, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.